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Tour August’s Sky: Jupiter & Saturn Shine

There's more to look for this month than the solar eclipse. As you'll discover in August's astronomy podcast, Jupiter and Saturn are easy to spot in the evening sky.

This August offers much more than just a solar eclipse — the evening sky is full of celestial treats, and Venus is dazzling in the east before dawn..

The crescent Moon and Jupiter make a lovely pair on August 24–26, 2017.Sky & Telescope

After sunset, that brilliant "star" in the southwest is the planet Jupiter. It’s nearing the end of a long run across the evening sky that began back in April.

Well to the left of Jupiter is another planet — Saturn — masquerading as a bright star. If you’ve got a small telescope, you’ll be able to resolve its rings.

To the left of Saturn is a group of eight medium-bright stars in the shape of a teapot. The handle is on the left and the spout, tipped down a bit, is on the right. When astronomers carved up the sky they didn’t call this the “teapot constellation.” Instead, you’ve found the main stars of the constellation Sagittarius, the Archer.

There's much more to see in the evening sky. To learn more, listen to or download our monthly astronomy podcast below. It provides a 8-minute-long tour of the stars and planets that you'll see this month.

About Kelly Beatty

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Featured Observing Resources

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